PROJECT: THE ONE-HUNDRED-STEP-GARDEN (HYAKUDAN-EN)

Location: Awaji Yumebutai (Awajishima, Awaji Island Project)2 YumebutaiKusumoto-tarui, Higashiura-choTsuna-gun, Hyogo656-2301 Japan

Design: Tadao Ando (Tadao Ando Architects & Associates)Client: Hyogo PrefectureConsultants: Wada Structural Engineer Consultant, Hojo Structure Research Institute:

structural;Setsubi Giken Architectural Engineers Associates: mechanical;Ceser Park & Resort / Gauer Design Far East Ltd.,Nikken Space Design: interior (hotel);Environmental Site Plannings: landscape;Karasawa Architectural & Acoustic Design: acoustic

General contractor: Obayashi - Aoki - Zenidaka - Sato - Kanzaki J.V., Takenaka - Aoki- ShibataJ.V., Shimizu - Izumo J.V., Moricho

Planning: 04/1993-12/1994 (before earthquake)10/1995-12/1996 (after earthquake)

Construction: 07/1997-12/1999Opening: 03/2000

History:

Awaji Yumebutai is a complex of buildings by architect Tadao Ando. The mixed-use project wasbuilt on the remains of a hillside from which the soil had been removed for decades, to cater for ahuge landfill development in the Osaka Bay area, including for the Kansai airport.

The architect - Tadao Ando - convinced the authorities to purchase the surrounding land (100hectares) and turn it into a park. The project would restore nature to an area scarred by pastexpansion activities and would create a new place in the area for people to gather and interact.However, in January 1995 Awaji Island was the epicentre for a massive earthquake that shook theregion around Kobe and claimed more than 6,000 lives. This forced the architect the revisecompletely the construction documents and the timetable for the project. In the words of TadaoAndo: "... to re-conceive "Yumebutai" as both a physical and spiritual rebuilding of the devastatedcities - a symbol of rebirth. Yumebutai commemorates death and devastation by celebrating theiropposites - life and beauty".

This intricate complex of interior and exterior spaces is a place where visitors are surrounded by therichness of nature, and find sensory pleasure in their existence. The project now includes a hotel,both indoor and outdoor gardens, a conference centre, tea ceremony building, restaurants, plazasand a small amphitheatre. Each building has its own distinct geometric shape, lending itself to aneasy iconography where steps and water - ponds, cascades, fountains and other water features -play a very important role.

One important item that did change after the earthquake was the addition of the large square-grid-terrace of flower gardens called "100 Step Garden" on a steep inclination situated behind the hoteland decorated with flowers throughout each of the 4 seasons serving as "a symbol to calm the soulsof those who lost their lives in the disaster".

The garden is a geometric pattern of 100 inclined flower beds, all following the gradient of theterrain and linked by an intricate maze of stairs, always consisting of 7 or 14 steps between landings.This cascading arrangement of planters shows an intriguing combination of rigorous geometricdesign and enclosed plots with a large variety of plants and flowers displayed all year round. The

garden lies at the highest point of the Yumebutai complex and is linked to the other parts of theproject by a 10m wide step-cascade of continuously flowing water, flanked by stairs that follow thesame arrangement and incline.

With a free-standing elevator you can reach the top of the first large square of flower beds and alsoa spectacular viewing platform from where you have a 360o outlook of the entire Yumebutaicomplex. From there you can reach via an intricate play of ramps the second large square and alsoa unique vantage point at the top of the step-cascade.

Site Plan of the one-hundred-step-garden (document received from Tadao Ando Architects & Associates

Measurements:

When designated as the one-hundred-step-garden (Hyakudan-En) the name does not refer to thenumber of stair-steps but rather the number of garden squares (flower beds) that make up the entireflower garden. Their number is indeed exactly 100.

All garden-squares (5m x 5m) are surrounded by steps: 14 steps upward going West and 7 stepsupward going North. The difference in height is bridged by the fact that the garden-squaresthemselves are all sloping down towards the East over a height of 7 steps (1m). This means thateach square is 7 steps higher than the square on its East and South, while being 7 steps lower thanthe squares on its North and West. The large squares (38.4m x 38.4m), consisting of 36 flower bedstherefore slope upward toward the North-West corner, following the gradient of the surroundingterrain. The total difference in height between the lowest and highest point of the large squares is18m (6x1m+6x2m).

The difference in height between the landings is always 1m or 2m. As all landings are consistentlyseparated by 7 or 14 steps the rise of each step is 14.3 cm.The going of each step is 33.4cm which makes the distance between landings (6 goings) alsoexactly 2m.The step-modulus is therefore 14.3+14.3+33.4 = 62cm, which can be considered the ideal ratio forthe 95 percentile Japanese stature and related foot-size.The width of the stairs is 1.2m with one simple iron handrail on the side of the flower beds and thegradient of the stairs is a comfortable 23.2o.

Where there are 14 steps the size of the square is established by multiplying 15x33.4cm giving atotal of 5m, thus establishing the size of the garden-squares (5m x 5m = 25m2). Each large squareconsists of 36 small squares surrounded each by 4 staircases (1.2m wide). This gives the total sizeof the large squares as 38.4m x 38.4m (6x5m+7x1.2m), or 39.7m x 39.7m (=1575m2) when oneincludes the surrounding walls.

Each complete large square has 882 steps (6x7x14+6x7x7). The incomplete square in the Southhas 539 steps. There are an extra 35 steps to link the first large square with the other two. Thismeans that the total amount of steps in the large squares is 1456. Additionally of course there arethe 119 wide steps which form the water partition going down towards the lower part of the complex(8x14+1x7). If we add these figures together we can see that the entire project counts 1575 steps,while the total amount of flights, including the connecting stairs, is 235.

In the typical Tadao Ando style the main building material used for the one-hundred-step-garden isfair-faced concrete. Only the surrounding walls of the large squares are made of large blocks ofnatural stone, but still in the same grey colour pattern, characteristic of the entire project.

Bibliography:

Anon. (2000) Awaji-Yumebutai, Tsuna-gun, Hyogo, Japan; Architects: Tadao Ando Architect &Associates. In: GA Document (62) July 2000 pp. 52-67.

Atripaldi, Anna Maria (2001) La piazza dei sogni: complesso Yumebutai, Awaji-Kobe. In:Architettura Cronache e Storia (47)552 October 2001 pp. 596-601.

Conley, Ken (s.d.) Gallery: Awaji Yumebutai Part I and II - Tadao Ando.http://kwc.org/photos/tadao-ando/awaji-yumebutai-part-i-tadao-ando/http://kwc.org/photos/tadao-ando/awaji-yumebutai-part-ii-tadao/

Heneghan, Tom (2000) Orchestral Spaces. In: Awaji Yumebutai, monograph on Tadao Ando'sAwaji Yumebutai. Shinkenchiku-sha, May 2000, pp. 106-110.

Heneghan, Tom (2000) Asia: regional report (includes “Life and soul: Yumebutai ‘spatial themepark’, Awaji Island / Tadao Ando). In: World Architecture (89) September 2000 pp. 76-83.

Okabe, Noriaki et al. (2001)Yearbook 2000: Japanese architectural scene in 2000: special issue’.In: Japan Architect (40) Winter 2001 pp. 90-95.

Tadao Ando Architects & Associates (s.d.) AWAJI-YUMEBUTAI (Awaji Island Project).Document received from the Architect's office 21/01/11. 2 pp.

The step-cascade: link between the Yumebutai complex and the garden (photos Karel Bos)

View of the garden towards South-West (photo Karel Bos)

7 steps toward the North; 14 steps toward the West; flower-beds inclined 1m (photo Karel Bos)

Flowerbeds throughout the 4 seasons as a celebration to life and beauty (photo Karel Bos)

Following the incline of the terrain the garden slopes toward the North-West highest point.

Lift to the viewing platform and footbridge to the second level of the garden.

The steps following the cascading water back to the Yumebutai complex (photos Karel Bos)

Karel Bos 09/02/11

Note:

L'Architetto che non concepisce una scala come cosa fantastica non è un Artista: non è unregista dell'Architettura. (Gio Ponti 1957)